Adjustable fluid inlet spout

ABSTRACT

An adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducing fluids into a receptacle, such as a tub, sink, or tank. The spout contains a through passage which is angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout. The spout is adjustable, allowing the fluid moving through the passage to be directed as desired, in a generally horizontal direction, making contact with the sides of the receptacle. The spout may be placed eccentrically of the central longitudinal axis of the tub.

United States Patent Giglio 51 May 16, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE FLUID INLETSPOUT [72] Inventor: Gino Giglio, 105 West 13th Street, New

York, NY. 10011 [22] Filed: June 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 46,184

[52] U.S.Cl ..4/1,4/l73,4/181 [51 Int. Cl ..A47k 17/00, A47k 3/00 [58]Field ofSearch ..239/601;4/173,178,181,180, 4/1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,426,046 8/1922 Cohen..4/181 2,705,329 4/1955 Exton-Porter ..4/173 3,521,304 7/1970 Ghiz..4/l72.16 3,038,667 6/1962 Sandie. ..239/601 X 3,266,737 8/1966Nees.... ..239/601 X 3,476,323 11/1969 Downie ..239/601 X PrimaryExaminer-Henry K. Artis Attorney-Meyer A. Gross 57 ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 7Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAY 16 I972 8. 662,406

e f A? ADJUSTABLE FLUID INLET SPOUT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates to an eccentrically placed inlet spout andmore particularly to an improved adjustable fluid inlet spout to allowhorizontal fill of a receptacle by directing the fluid stream againstthe side walls of the receptacle.

lnlet spouts to fill receptacles are well known in the art, and areperhaps best illustrated by bathtubs in the standard centrallypositioned downwardly extending spout for introduction of water into abathtub. The method of filling a tub is well known and has not changedin the art for many, many years. The inlet spout centrally positioned isdirected downwardly towards the base floor of the interior of the tub.This causes a noisy, splashing-type filling effect. The water willgradually fill the tub and the initially introduced water will be movedtowards the rear surface of the tub, being changed in temperature by thetub material temperature, and eventually accumulating a body of water inthe receptacle or tub having different temperatures at differentlocations along the length of the tub. The latter introduced water doesnot easily mix with the earlier introduced water, causing thetemperature variation. Nor are added materials, such as soaps ormedications, mixed evenly, for the same reasons.

In addition, the splashing, filling effect is quite noisy, and forsignificant volume and velocities the noise can be of a rather highdecible level. Furthermore, the splashing, filling effect may result inwet floors and walls, which are not only unsafe, but would tend todeteriorate faster than if they were maintained dry.

In emptying and rinsing receptacles of this nature, the downwardlydirected inlets splash directly on the drain, driving solid wasteaccumulations (such as suds, dirt, curd, or hair, away from the draininlet. To insure proper cleaning, it is necessary to turn off the waterand use a hand or other implement to push the materials toward thedrain.

Finally, there have been occasions where accidents occur because theinlet spout extends an appreciable distance over the front edge of thereceptacle and when in use as a bathtub, individuals have caught andinjured themselves thereon.

Accordingly, among the principal objects of the present invention is toprovide an improved adjustable inlet spout placed eccentrically withregard to the axis of the receptacle, which directed the inlet flow offluids horizontally and against the sides of the receptacle container,eliminating the splashing of the fluids on the base surface of thereceptacle, or on the surface of fluid in the container, and theconsequent noise that would otherwise result from the splashing effect.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spout of thecharacter described which will cause a complete mixing of the fluidimmediately passing through the spout with that already in the interiorof the receptacle.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inlet spoutwhich will provide a body of fluid of even temperature, having aconsistent temperature along the length of the receptacle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a saferaccess to the receptacle to test the temperature of the water and of thefluid in along the wall receptacle installations, and at the same timeincreasing the cosmetic values, by causing any staining on the near sideof the inner side wall of the receptacle, out of the ordinary line ofsight.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide anadjustable inlet spout of the character described which requires a muchshorter extension over the receptacle, thus significantly eliminatingthe danger of accidental injury, by a person catching themselves uponthe spout.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide aspout of the character described which can be adjusted to cause thedesired horizontal flow against the side walls of the receptacle,compensating for varying velocities and volumes of fluid passing throughthe spout.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide aspout of the character described which will allow simple rinsing of thereceptacle during washdown of a major portion of the receptacle sidewalls and real wall.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a spout of thecharacter described which will cause solid residues and wasteaccumulations to be washed from the base of the receptacle towards thedrain outlet.

Basically, the invention consists of a spout which is received within apipe connected to a source of pressurized fluid, such as the water linein a house, hotel, or other such building. The water provided bymunicipalities, or from wells, is pressurized and passes through conduitmeans, such as piping. A pipe may be located in a wall adjacent thereceptacle, and eccentric to any of its axis, which may be a bathtub,and the pipe may have a slightly flanged forward edge. The spout isgenerally cylindrical in appearance and has a larger diameter headsection, and a lesser diameter neck section separated by an annularshoulder having an inwardly extending lip. The neck is received withinthe interior of the pipe extending from the wall, and the flange gripsthe lip of the annular shoulder in the well known fashion. It is alsopossible to use a ratchet type structure, which is well known in theart, to provide adjustable rotational movement of the spout, in additionto rotational movement of the structure as described herein. Thecylindrical surface of the head may also have a polygonal shape to alloweasier gripping.

Passing through the spout is through-passage whose central axis isgenerally angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout. The spoutis rotated axially so that, compensating for the volume and velocity offluid eminating therefrom, the flow can be directed horizontally towardsthe side wall of the receptacle.

In installation where the tub is installed along a wall, it is desirablethat the spout be eccentrically placed from the central axis of the tubcloser to the near side so that it may be easily handled without leaningover the greater width of the tub. in fact, depending upon the skill ofthe plumbers and installer, a straight spout may in some instancesreplace an angularly disposed spout, assuming the spout is properlyaligned at the time of the installation of the spout and the piping.

The above description and objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a reading of the following description taken withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspectiveview of a receptacle such as a bathtub, showing a fluid eminating fromthe spout constructed in accordance with the present invention, thefluid contacting the side walls of the spout, as desired;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the lines 22 of FIG. 1, illustrating theposition of the through-passage within the spout;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the spout in a rotatedposition with the through passage being angled in a different direction;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the spout; and

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to the side elevational views of FIGS. 2 and 3,showing a spout whose throughpassage has a central longitudinal axiscoincident with the central axis of the spout;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the inlet spout.

Turning to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown anadjustable inlet spout l0 embodying the present invention secured to apipe 12, and positioned over a receptacle, such as a tub 14. It isunderstood that any type of receptacle, such as a sink or a tank, canutilize the present invention, but for purposes of illustration, thedescription in the specification will be directed towards bathtubs.

The bathtub 14 may be any standard model and requires no specialinstallation or manufacture to take advantage of the present invention.The tub may be stamped or molded in the well known manner and includesouter side surfaces and rear and front end surfaces 18, 20. There is thestandard top side surfaces 22, 24, and the rear and front top surfaces26, 28.

I in a line from the rear surface 34 to the front surface 36in the wellknown manner, with a drain, (not shown) provided also in the well knownmanner.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bathtub is placed in a room against walls 40,42, with the surfaces 16 and 20 abutting the walls.

The pipe 12 extends outwardly from the wall 42 and is connected to apressurized fluid source, such as a municipal water line, or an artesianwell or a well in which water is provided under pressure by means of apump. Standard plumbing or piping is provided in the well known manner.

The piping may be cylindrical in shape, having a wall 44 defined by anouter surface 46 and an inner surface 48, an inner side edge 50, and anouter side edge 52. The surface 46 may be threaded as at 54 near theedge 50 to allow mating with the internal threads 56 of the pipe 58which is part of the plumbing.

The outer edge of the pipe 12 is slightly altered to increase thediameter defining a flange 60 with an annular lip 62.

The inlet spout may be made of any convenient material, such as aslightly flexible plastic and is generally cylindrical in appearance,having a head portion 64 and a neck portion 66. The head portion is of asignificantly greater diameter than the neck portion and is generallycylindrical in shape, being defined by a front face 67, a side surface68 and a shoulder surface 70. The side surface 68 may be faceted orpolygonally shaped for ease of gripping. The head portion has a shoulderelement 72 with an inwardly extending lip 74. The lip 74 and 62 co-actso that the spout may be placed upon the pipe 14 in the normal press-fitmanner, the overlapping lips insuring that the spout and pipe will notseparate, that the spout may be rotatively moved with respect to thepipe, and yet be firmly held in place when the desired positioning isachieved.

Extending inwardly from the head portion is the neck portion 66 which isof a lesser diameter, and whose outer diameter is just slightly smallerthan the inner diameter of the pipe so that the side surface 76 of theneck portion just abuts the inner surface 48 of the pipe. The neckportion terminates in an end surface 78.

A through passage 80 defined by inner surface 82 passes longitudinallythrough the head and neck portions of the spout, allowing communicationfrom the interior of the pipe to the environment surrounding the frontface of the head portion. The through-passage has a central axis 84which is angularly disposed to the central axis 86 of the spout 10. Thisinclination causes a stream of fluid to describe an arcuate path as thespout is rotated within the pipe.

By controlling the direction of flow of the fluid after having left thepipe and spout, and compensating for the velocity and volume of waterpassing through the pipe and spout, adjustment of the spout will causethe fluid to make contact with the side walls 30 or 32 of the tub 14.The water will then flow following the curves of the walls onto the backwall 34, and then into the base surface 38 of the tub. This willeliminate the splashing noise normally associated with downward flow andfall of the fluid onto the base of the tub or fluid surface and willcause an even mixing of the fluids within the container due to theswirling efi'ect caused by the introduction of the fluid into the tub inthis manner. This swirling effect will also insure that there will be aneven temperature throughout the body of fluid at all times and an eventemperature throughout the body of the receptacle, stabilizingtemperature. Since the volume and velocity of flow must be high enoughto cause contact with the side walls and swirling towards the rear ofthe tub, it is not necessary that the pipe extend significantly over theinner surfaces of the tub, but just protrude from the wall 42 insufficient amount that the spout may be adjusted by the user. This inturn eliminates any possible injuries due to the user accidentallycatching himself upon the pipe and spout.

Furthermore, in wall side tube installations, it is desirable to placethe pi ing eccentrically to the major longitudinal ax's of he tub an tothe near side wall, away from the wall of the room of installation. Thismakes it easier to reach to test the temperature of the water and of thebody of fluid, without having to reach over the greater width of thetub, and has a cosmetic effect in that any staining will occur on thenear side wall of the tub, which is out of the ordinary line of sight ofa viewer.

As has been previously noted, the swirling effect of the watercontacting the side walls and swirling around the back wall and theother side wall of the tub also has a great value during the cleaningoperation, since it causes solid and waste accumulations to movedownwardly on the base wall towards the drain, something that does notoccur with the present filling spouts.

If the spout and piping are properly and carefully aligned duringinstallation, on some occasions it is possible to use a spout whosethrough-passage major axis coincident with the major axis of the spout,being previously adjusted for proper contact with the near side wall ofthe tub.

It is understood by those skilled in the art that any type of well knownmechanical connection may be used to connect the pipe and spout to eachother to insure that the rotational movement of the spout relative tothe pipe and yet to insure that there will be no undesired movement oncethe desired adjustments have been made. An example of such mechanicaljoinder would be a ratchet fit.

The terms and expressions which have been employed here are used asterms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention inthe use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, an adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducingfluids into a receptacle such as a bath tub by contacting the sidesthereof, comprising a. a pressurized fluid source;

b. conduit means for transferring the fluid from the source to alocation proximate to and separate from the receptacle;

c. an inlet spout having a neck portion extending inwardly of theconduit means, being received therein, and a head portion secured to theneck portion and extending forwardly of the conduit means, the spoutrotatively engaging the conduit means; and

d. the spout having an inner wall defining a through passage, thecentral axis of the passage being angularly disposed to the central axisof the spout and coincident therewith at exit; the fluid making contactwith the side walls of the receptacle, effecting silent, no splashfilling, and even mixing of the fluid within the receptacle due to theswirling action of the fluid resulting from the eccentric introductionof the fluid.

2. The invention according to claim 1, the fluid being a liquid, theconduit means being a pipe.

3. The invention according to claim 2, the pipe having an inner end andan outer end, the outer end having a flange portion and a lip.

4. The invention according to claim 3, the head portion of the spouthaving an annular shoulder with an inwardly extending lip, the lip ofthe spout and the lip of the pipe overlapping to form a press fit,allowing rotation of the spout relative to the pipe.

5. The invention according to claim 2, the conduit means being placedeccentrically of the central longitudinal axis of the receptacle.

1. In combination, an adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducingfluids into a receptacle such as a bath tub by contacting the sidesthereof, comprising a. a pressurized fluid source; b. conduit means fortransferring the fluid from the source to a location proximate to andseparate from the receptacle; c. an inlet spout having a neck portionextending inwardly of the conduit means, being received therein, and ahead portion secured to the neck portion and extending forwardly of theconduit means, the spout rotatively engaging the conduit means; and d.the spout having an inner wall defining a through passage, the centralaxis of the passage being angularly disposed to the central axis of thespout and coincident therewith at exit; the fluid making contact withthe side walls of the receptacle, effecting silent, no splash filling,and even mixing of the fluid within the receptacle due to the swirlingaction of the fluid resulting from the eccentric introduction of thefluid.
 2. The invention according to claim 1, the fluid being a liquid,the conduit means being a pipe.
 3. The invention according to claim 2,the pipe having an inner end and an outer end, the outer end having aflange portion and a lip.
 4. The invention according to claim 3, thehead portion of the spout having an annular shoulder with an inwardlyextending lip, the lip of the spout and the lip of the pipe overlappingto form a press fit, allowing rotation of the spout relative to thepipe.
 5. The invention according to claim 2, the conduit means beingplaced eccentrically of the central longitudinal axis of the receptacle.